Your friend was arrested for being a Christian in a country with a large Christian minority? Please elaborate.
My friend's conviction was down the lines of evangelizing and disturbing the peace. He was in Egypt for combination work and vacation and while preparing to leave was overheard commenting to someone he had meet on being a Christian and was reported to security. He got detained, questioned, beat up a little, and tossed in jail. He was later tried, found guilty and left in prison. The US government couldn't, or wouldn't, get him out. Sad story really.